He's Just Not That Into You
by sweetsunshine000
Summary: Remember that really cute guy who said he'd call you...and then didn't? Well maybe he's just not that into you. Based off the movie. Chapter 14: Signs NiouSakuno, KiriharaAn
1. If He's Not Calling You

**HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU**

**Author's Note: Okay, so this is based off the movie He's Just Not That Into You, which is a movie that every single person (or at least every single female) in the entire world should go see. I'm not saying it's the best of movies, but it's like two hours of "That's so true" moments. It's just a very relateable movie. For anyone who has seen it, I'm just going to say that Sakuno's story line is going to follow the main character in the movie's story line. An's story line will have bits and pieces from it, but I am pretty much making it up as I go along, and as for Tomoka, I don't really have anything planned for her. I was just kind of using her as a comic relief character, the crazy stalker girl that occasionally has some sassy comments. But if you want something for her, I might be able to come up with something. In regards to following the movie, I'm using quotes and themes from the movie, but I hope not to just copy everything. That's why I've been restraining myself from watching the movie even as a reference so I can fully say that I'm not exactly cheating.**

**I said that there will be various pairings in the story, but I haven't all of them figured out yet. If you prefer a particular pair, write it in the reviews, and I might consider it (and yes, that can include yaoi pairs).**

* * *

…**if's he not calling you.**

"Thanks for helping me with my serve, Ryoma-kun."

Ryoma responded with a detached grumble as he continued to pack up his tennis gear.

"Well it was really nice of you to do that for me," Sakuno continued rather apprehensively, "and I was actually kind of hoping to pay you back by taking you to that ice cream parlor down the street. It just opened, and I heard it's pretty good."

"Sorry, I can't," Ryoma said, slinging his tennis bag over his shoulder. "I have to be somewhere."

"Oh, well that's fine." Sakuno's composure slightly deflated. "I guess we could do it another time."

For a moment, there was an uncertain silence before Ryoma finally broke it.

"Yeah, okay."

"Well here's my number. Call me some time."

"Sure."

With that, Sakuno walked away, the faintest of blushes tinting her cheek. As soon as she got home, she found herself moving her telephone to sit on top of her nightstand, right next to her bed. It provided for easier access. At first, she only started to check her messages every so often like a normal person, but when a couple of days started to roll by, and she still hadn't received a phone call, she started to check every half hour. It was gradually growing into an obsession.

"I'm sure it has nothing to do with you," one of her trusty friends An reassured her. "Ryoma-kun has always been clueless at relationships."

"If you ask me," Momoshiro interjected, "Echizen isn't even interested in girls. The only things he loves are tennis, Karupin, and Ponta."

"What he means to say is," An interrupted, shooting her boyfriend a small glare, "he's totally going to call."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Sakuno smiled at the two, though in truth she was only feeling slightly better. Still, with a rejuvenated hope, she proceeded to increase the volume on her telephone, just to make sure she could hear it ringing, and resumed her position at waiting by the bedside table.

Finally, two weeks had gone by, and there was still no phone call. All hope was lost. Letting out a sigh, Sakuno slumped further down in her seat, ultimately giving up. An felt sympathetic for her friend and placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her, though it only seemed to make Sakuno more thoroughly depressed. She gave one last longing look at the telephone.

"He's never going to call, is he?"

"I don't think so."


	2. Who's the idiot that invented caller ID?

**Who's the idiot that invented caller ID?**

"I hate caller ID."

Tomoka let out a dissatisfied huff as she plopped down onto the couch, Sakuno silently watching.

"And why is that?"

"Because," Tomoka exclaimed, as if it were some sort of conspiracy, "it just makes everything so complicated. It's like you can't call someone nine times a day without looking like you're completely insane."

"Um…."

Sakuno probably should have said something by now, but she just couldn't gather the nerve to. It didn't matter anyways. Tomoka had already decided this to be a one-sided conversation.

"I mean, people before didn't have caller ID, and as far as I know, they got along just fine. Caller ID is just completely pointless anyway. What's wrong with just picking up the phone in order to find out who's on the other line? If I want to call a guy in fifteen-minute intervals just to hear the sound of his voice, then I should be able to, right? But if the guy already knows it's me, then I just seem like a complete stalker."

"…"

"Which I'm not."


	3. You're the Rule

**You're the rule.**

"I can't believe he actually took out a restraining order against me."

"Well you were calling him an awful lot," An said to Tomoka as she retrieved her soda from the vending machine.

"But a restraining order is just so extreme. Isn't it, Sakuno?"

"Huh?" Sakuno abruptly broke from her stupor, receiving some odd looks from An and Tomoka.

"Are you okay?" An asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Tomoka and An looked at each other, knowing full well that Sakuno was lying, but they dismissed it with a shrug and merely went back to enjoying the park. However, Sakuno didn't seem to be able to do the same. It wasn't until later, as they were on their way home, when Sakuno brought the topic up again.

"Maybe he's just been really busy lately."

Tomoka rolled her eyes. "Are you still going on about that?"

"Well think about it. He's so busy with tennis and everything. It must have slipped his mind, but I'm sure he'll call eventually."

At this point, An grabbed Sakuno's shoulder as if she could shake the insanity out of her.

"Listen, Sakuno. I think you should just get over him. It's summer vacation. Don't waste your entire break obsessing over one guy."

I know. You're right, but I just want to make sure."

Shrugging An's hand off, Sakuno now started heading back in the opposite direction.

"Wait, where are you going?" Tomoka cried after her.

"To the tennis courts to find Ryoma-kun." With that, she waved the two good-bye and went off on her way.

"She's lost it, hasn't she?"

"Yep."

* * *

Niou caught the tennis ball in his hand and wiped the sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his jacket. As he adjusted his grip on the racket, his ears perked up at the sound of conversation among the street courts, glazing over each of them before they unconsciously settled on one.

"So I saw Sakuno-chan the other day," Momoshiro said as Ryoma bent down to tie his shoes.

"Why were with you with Ryuzaki-san?

"We stopped by her house because An had to get something from her. Anyway, she seemed kind of stressed out when I saw her."

"About what?" Ryoma asked absent-mindedly.

"Apparently she was expecting you to call her."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you said you would," Momoshiro exclaimed, surprised that Ryoma didn't even remember.

"Oh, did I?"

Niou watched as the two walked away, a small smirk twisting at his lips. Sometimes the things he overheard were actually rather amusing.

As Niou started to get back to his training, repeatedly hitting the ball against the backboard, another sound caught his ear, that of loud footsteps approaching. Turning around to see who it was, his mind slipped about the advancing tennis ball heading in his direction. It shot past him and beamed the poor girl, who seemed to be running for dear life, directly on the side of her head. She fell backwards.

"You okay?"

Sakuno stopped rubbing her head to look up at the tall figure standing before her. "Yeah, I think so."

Getting up, she brushed the dirt off her skirt and proceeded to fix her hair, not noticing the intrigued look she was receiving from Niou.

"You seem familiar. Do I know you?"

Taken aback by this sudden inquiry, Sakuno timidly bowed.

"Ryuzaki Sakuno desu."

"Oh yeah, I see you at all the Seigaku games."

Sakuno simply nodded. "And you're Niou-san, right? What are you doing in Tokyo?

"I was just visiting a friend," Niou said, taking off his jacket as he did so. "Figured I might as well make use of the courts while I'm here."

Sakuno filled the conversation with a small "Oh."

Picking up the ball, Niou told Sakuno that he should get back to training and was making his way back to the backboard when Sakuno spoke up yet again.

"Wait, I was just kind of wondering. Have you seen Ryoma-kun? I know he comes here often."

"You mean that Echizen brat? Yeah, I saw him. He left already just a couple of minutes ago."

Sakuno's shoulders fell, feeling rather dejected. It was at that moment that Niou began to recall some of the conversation he had just overheard.

"But if you want, I could call him," Niou continued. "I know someone who probably has his phone number."

As much as Sakuno wanted to see Ryoma again, calling _him _was not part of the plan, and she showed this objection by quickly protesting.

"No! I mean, it's really not that important."

Niou arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Because the way you were looking for him made it seem pretty important."

"Don't worry," Sakuno said, letting out a nervous chuckle. "It isn't."

The blush on her face spoke for itself.

"Let me guess," Niou finally said in an all too knowing tone. "He didn't call, did he?"

Sakuno was shocked. "How would you know that?"

Setting that question aside, Niou led Sakuno to one of the benches, offering her a seat.

"Look, you seem like a cool girl so I'll give it to you straight. This guy isn't interested."

"I don't get it," Sakuno stammered, as if Niou was just playing some cruel joke on her.

"What I'm saying is, if this guy isn't calling you, then he obviously doesn't want to call you."

"Okay, so he didn't call me," Sakuno admitted, "but that doesn't really mean anything. He could just be shy or busy with tennis, or he could have lost my phone number…"

"…or maybe," Niou interrupted, "he's just not that into you."

Sakuno contemplated this for a moment. "But what if—"

"No, there is no what if's. If a guy likes you, he'll make it happen. That's the rule."

"So it's always like that."

Niou nodded. "Always."

"Well then what about my cousin?" Sakuno said. "She knew this guy who was supposed to call her also, but he didn't so she completely wrote him off. Then one day she finally got the nerve to call _him_. So they started dating, and now they're happily married."

"Well then your cousin's weird," Niou replied, "and she's also the exception."

"Then why can't I be the exception?"

"No, it doesn't work like that. You can't just always assume you're going to be the exception. You're the rule, got it?"

"Okay fine, I got it."

* * *

**Okay, this chapter has definitely been changed. The first draft was really crappy, and even though I promised I would wait until after exams to revise it, the crappiness was just annoying me so much that I couldn't. Now I know the pairing is a little weird, but Sakuno was just the perfect Gigi, and as for Niou, he just fit the description of what I needed the main character to be. Kind of cool, not afraid to be brutally honest, and has room for occasional niceness. At first I was going to do Kirihara, but I wanted to use him for An's story line. Anyway, review please!**

**Oh yeah, before I forget, let's just say that for the sake of the story, distance is not a big factor. I'm not just going to disregard it completely, but I'm kind of pulling in characters from different schools, and it doesn't work if they're all so far away from each other. **


	4. You've Just Been Dumped

**You've just been dumped.**

"_An-chan, can I talk to you for a moment?"_

An used to think that she came out on top in every single relationship. That she was always the heartbreaker, never the broken hearted. But as she's given this thought quite some contemplation, she's come to realize that she had actually been dumped quite a few times. She just didn't know it.

"_What is it?" An asked, already seeing in Momoshiro's anxious features that something was horribly wrong._

_At first Momoshiro thought over his words for a moment. Then after a few seconds of awkward silence, he came to a point where he figured the best method of confession was just to blurt it out. _

"_I cheated on you."_

See, breaking up with someone is an art form that men in particular know very well. They just do all the right things and say all the right words that make it sound like ending the relationship was your idea.

"_What?" was An's only response, the word almost emitted involuntarily. _

"_I lied," Momoshiro repeated. "I'm a terrible person, and you could do so much better than me."_

What makes it worse is that people will actually buy these lies. Blame it on pride. Blame it on ignorance. But whatever you blame it on, the truth is that women will jump on any opportunity to believe that they haven't just been rejected. This idea doesn't even occur to them until a few days later, as they're watching endless re-runs on late night TV, when they realize that _they're _the ones who are miserable and lonely and are gaining a couple of pounds. That's just how it goes. So for future reference, if a guy ever says in a conversation…

"_I don't deserve someone like you."_

…grab a tub of ice cream and the remote control because you have just been dumped.

* * *

**Sorry this is a little short, but at least I got another chapter in. For the next two weeks, I have exams for school so updates will probably be a little slower then. But don't worry, once school is over, I'll hopefully get back to updating faster than ever. Review please!**

**Oh, by the way, here are some couples to expect: KamioAn, RyogaNanako, and a little bit of TezukaFuji later on in the story. Thanks again for some of these suggestions. As for the other ones, no hard feelings. It's not that I didn't like them. I just wasn't able to find a good way to work them into the story. But who knows? Maybe I'll let the other ones have cameo appearances or something like that. **


	5. I Don't Care

**I don't care….No really, I don't.**

Kamio flinched as the ball coming his way just narrowly missed him. As he got back into position on the tennis court, he eyed Tachibana An with an almost nervous look. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

"Are you okay, An-chan? You seem…frustrated."

"I'm fine!" An bit back, pulling out a tennis ball from her pocket. Without warning, she sent another serve his way, one that was so sure of hitting Kamio that he had to use a hidden flexibility he didn't know he had in order to dodge it.

They continued like this for a while until Kamio called for a water break, using this opportunity to confront An about her growing necessity to use him as a human target.

"Why don't you just tell me what's going on, An-chan? I don't think I can handle any more bruises."

Seating herself on the bench, An's eyes were fixed on the ground, trying to avoid Kamio's gaze. She didn't even seem to acknowledge him until she finally let out a sigh and muttered under her breath, "Momo and I broke up."

"What?" Kamio had to strain himself in order to hear the words, but sure enough, he heard them correctly. However, believing them was another story. It was true that Kamio never really liked the idea of An dating Momoshiro, or any guy for that matter, but he never really thought of them breaking up so soon. "What happened?"

"Remember how he was always calling to cancel plans and change schedules? Now I finally know why."

"What do you mean?"

Apparently with this question, Kamio must have triggered something because An tightened her grip on her water bottle and angrily gritted her teeth.

"He cheated on me, Kamio," An said bitterly. "He would always tell me he was training for tennis, but he was really with someone else. Now we're over."

"That bastard!" Kamio yelled, flushing with rage. "When I get a hold of him, I gonna—"

"Kamio," An interrupted, wearing that emotionless mask. "Don't do anything rash."

"But aren't you angry too?" Kamio exclaimed.

An gave a mere shrug at this idea and carried on with her business, never being the type to just have a catharsis.

"Let's just get back to tennis, Kamio-kun. I was hoping this game would take my mind off of things."

An clutched her racket and proceeded to make her way back on to the court when she felt a hand grip her shoulder. She paused for a moment, but eventually shrugged it off and continued walking, as if nothing had happened.

But with every second, her mask was quickly breaking.

* * *

**Well that's the end of that chapter. My next chapter is NanakoRyoga, but if I don't get it finished by the end of this weekend, then I probably wouldn't expect it until next week or the week after that. So yeah, I'm pretty sure there was something I needed to say, but I can't really remember it right now. Oh well, I hope it wasn't important. **


	6. He's Your Cousin

**Why is it that at a party, there are millions of hot, single guys to choose from, and yet you always manage to choose the one that's related to you?**

Even Nanako Meino had to admit that the best thing about college was the parties. They were always loud and crowded, and chances were that half of the people there didn't even who you were. It was the perfect opportunity to let loose, especially when it was after exams.

Nanako inched her way through the crowd, finally reaching her friends gathered on an arrangement of couches and chairs. They offered her a beer, but she didn't take it. It was most likely that she would have a drunken uncle waiting for her at home. She wouldn't be making the situation any better by getting drunk herself.

As the group started talking about the difficulty of the exams, her mind exited the conversation long enough to focus on a particular guy from across the room, catching her eye with a small smile. She made eye contact with him for a few seconds, then turned back to her friends.

"Hey, do we know that guy?" she asked one of her friends sitting next to her. Her friend stretched her neck to get a better look.

"Which one?"

"The one in the grey jacket."

"Oh, that one," her friend said, spotting him. "I think I heard someone talking about him. Apparently he's an advanced tennis player that plays on this cruise, and he's in Tokyo for a few weeks to visit some relatives."

"He's kind of cute," Nanako admitted, giving him one more glance. The guy winked back in return, to which Nanako gave a light giggle and rolled her eyes. Later, as she was exploring the snack bar, the guy approached her, wearing a confident expression.

"Alright, why don't we just skip the small talk, and I'll go straight to asking you for your name?"

"It's Nanako," she answered. "And you?"

His smile twisted into a small smirk. "Just call me Ryoga."

The next time Nanako was seen, she was coming out of one of the unoccupied rooms, hair completely a mess and clothes thoroughly disheveled. Her face carried a rather dazed appearance, looking utterly love-struck. Fixing herself up, she was about to make her way back to her friends, who seemed to be looking for her, when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Ah, Ryoma-kun. How did you find me?"

"One of your friends told me where you were. I need you to come home now. Oyaji's drunk again, and okaa-san isn't home yet."

Nanako took out her cell phone and checked the time.

"He's earlier than usual. Look, do you think you can handle it by yourself tonight? I'm a little busy."

"What? No way am I being left alone with that baka!"

She let out a sigh.

"Okay fine, I'll come with you."

As she said this, Ryoma's eyes narrowed at a particular figure just a little way behind Nanako, recognizing the person as the guy that just left the room with her. Ryoma slightly twitched when he realized who it was.

"Um Nanako-san, were you just with a guy?"

"Yes," Nanako said with a blush, knowing that she would be unable to hide this simple fact.

"And what was his name?"

"Ryoga-kun. Why? Do you know him or something?" Nanako asked, figuring since they both were pretty renowned in the tennis world.

"Yeah, I know him," Ryoma said rather stiffly. "His name's Echizen Ryoga…and he's my brother."

Nanako's eyes widened. "Wait, he's your brother? But then that means—"

"He's your cousin."

Nanako was never much of a drinker, but when she heard this, she grabbed the first cup of beer she could find and drank it in one gulp.

* * *

Nanako and Ryoma arrived at home to find Nanjiroh already collapsed on the floor. With combined effort, they both lifted him onto the living room couch and covered him with a blanket. Nanako had just finished placing a glass of tea ready for him on the table when a knock was heard at their door. Ryoma went to answer it.

"Hey chibisuke! Sorry I'm late, but I stopped by a party with one of my friends, and I kind of lost track of time."

Ryoma winced as the elder Echizen gave him a powerful noogie. Nanako could only stand off to the side quietly, afraid of bringing any attention to herself. When Ryoga saw her, he seemed rather stunned at first.

"Oi chibisuke, I didn't know you had company over."

"She's not company. She lives here."

Ryoga cocked an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"She's our cousin," Ryoma stated, almost laughing inwardly. A sadistic side of him (most likely inherited from Fuji) was actually pretty amused with the situation.

"Our cousin? But…I…we…you," Ryoga stammered, clearly at a lost for words and ultimately giving up on trying to find them. Not knowing what to say, the three of them merely stood awkwardly in silence.

"Well at least you were a good kisser."

Nanako smacked Ryoga hard across the cheek.

* * *

**This is for Shuu, who requested this pairing, and I have to say that even though I've never thought of them before, I kind of liked them together in a sick and twisted kind of way. Now I know Nanako and Ryoga are not technically related, but it's really the thought that counts. It's like the same reason why you wouldn't date your stepbrother or something like that. And when Charmane commented on how funny it would if Nanako slapped him, I just had to add that in. And this is what I got. And just so you know, Nanako and Ryoga will be seen later on in this story, but not as a couple for obvious reason. They'll be paired together in more of a family relationship (and Nanako will end up with someone). Oops, don't want to reveal too much. All of this chapters will relate to one another and connect. I promise. Just be a little patient. And if you're asking what happened between Nanako and Ryoga in the room, I'll let it vary depending on how twisted your mind is. **

**Oh, just in case you haven't noticed, I kind of added the author's notes at the end of each chapter for formatting purposes so it would help to actually read these. Only if the information is so extremely important that you need to know beforehand will I put them in the beginning, but so far, that problem hasn't really come up yet. **


	7. Deep Down, Jerks Are Still Jerks

**Deep down, jerks are still jerks. **

"Hello?"

Sakuno nervously twirled the phone cord with her fingers, contemplating how she was going to go about this. After her incidental meeting with Niou last week, the man had given her his phone number in case she wanted any more advice, and right now, she was in desperate need of it.

"Hi Niou-san, it's Sakuno."

Niou perked up as he recognized the voice.

"Oh hey, what's up?"

Sakuno racked her brain for some form of small talk, but when she couldn't come up with any, she ultimately decided to just cut to the chase. She let out a sigh.

"I still like him, Niou-san."

Niou remained silent as his mind slowly processed this news.

"And I have to go to tennis club practice in half an hour," Sakuno continued. "I'm bound to see h--"

"What do you mean you still like that Echizen brat?"

Sakuno hunched over in embarrassment, feeling the apples of her cheeks heat up.

"I mean, I know he acts like he doesn't really care about me, but I've always thought that deep down, he kind of did."

Niou smacked his forehead in frustration.

"Sometimes I wonder where you get these stupid ideas. Look, Sakuno-chan, if a guy treats you like he doesn't give a shit, he really doesn't give a shit. I don't know what chick flicks you've been watching, but deep down, jerks are still jerks. They don't change."

"But what about--"

"Okay fine, _most_ jerks don't change."

Sakuno slid down against the wall to the floor, pouting slightly.

"So what am I supposed to do now? Just ignore him from now on?"

"Yes!" Niou shouted, having insinuated this from the beginning. "Obviously he's not interested in you so just forget about him."

Sakuno let out a huff of disappointment, one that Niou could hear from the other line. He suddenly started to feel a twinge of guilt.

"Look, just do what you need to do. Just be careful, alright?"

Sakuno nodded. "Yeah, I'll try."

* * *

Sakuno ambled her way though the maze of tennis courts until she reached the ones that the boys were practicing at. Honestly, of all places her grandmother could have told Sakuno to meet her, it had to be here. As Sakuno approached the area with anxiety, she noticed her grandmother talking to Tezuka Kunimitsu on one of the far courts. She was just about to enter when a figure blocked her entrance.

"Ah…Ryoma-kun."

Echizen blinked confusedly for a moment, having just realized she was there.

"Ryuzaki-san," he said, filling the empty void. As the two merely stood there, Sakuno let all reason slip out of her head, and all that came out of her mouth was incoherent mumbling.

"I…um…I…"

Sakuno figured she should just stop before she made a fool of herself and went to staring at her feet. Echizen had no particular reaction to this.

"Ryuzaki-san…"

Sakuno looked up from her feet with an almost scared expression.

"…can I ask you a question?"

Echizen had said this in such a sincere tone that despite past feelings, Sakuno couldn't help but widen her eyes with hope in a rather school girl kind of way as she imagined romantic music playing in her head.

"Anything," she said in a sweet, desiring voice.

"Can you please…"

Sakuno nodded for him to continue. "Yeah."

"…move?"

"Wait, what?"

She swore she could hear the needle scratching.

"I need to get to the club room, and you're kind of in the way."

Sakuno checked her surroundings to see that she was indeed in the doorway of the tennis courts.

"Right…sorry."

She moved out of the way to let Echizen pass, wearing an absolutely dejected look as she did so. Starting to make her way over to her grandmother, she dragged her feet as she walked and kicked weakly at one of the small stones on the ground, letting it hit the fence with a rattle. She let out another sigh.

"I hate it when Niou's right."

* * *

**OMG, it's been so long. Actually, I think it's been only one or two weeks, but it feels like it's been so long. So anyway, here's the next chapter. Sorry I kind of had to make Ryoma the enemy, but don't worry, he'll have some redeeming qualities in other chapters, just not when it comes to Sakuno. So yeah, I bet you figured out that this story is very anti-RyomaSakuno. I never really liked the couple. It just seemed way too cliche for me, but that's beside the point. Watch out for the next chapter, featuring Fuji Yuuta, Mizuki, and Fuji Yumiko.**

**Come on, guys. The Mary-Sues get more reviews that me. How sad. T.T**


	8. If He's Cheating On You

**...if he's cheating on you. **

In a way, An had always suspected that Momoshiro had been cheating on her. She was just too hopeful to admit it, but when Momoshiro would always cancel plans with the excuse that he had to train for tennis, An had her doubts. Momoshiro having to train was no lie, however, but the fact that at the courts a certain girl happened to be there, and a rather good-looking one at that, did nothing to ease An's troubles. At first, she was jealous, extremely jealous, but she was eventually able to shake the feeling off, thoroughly convincing herself that she was not going to be one of those possessive and paranoid girlfriends, though, as she's come to realize, it probably would have done her best if she had been just that.

"I don't deserve someone like you," Momoshiro muttered, eyes locked on the ground in front of him.

"What do you mean?" An asked, though she knew full well what he meant. She has had this line used on her so many times, she has actually become immune to it.

"I just don't think I can do this anymore. I'm not good enough for you."

An did nothing to respond as she heard this. She just merely stood there, watching Momoshiro scuffle his feet against the cement as he continued to avoid her gaze.

"Bullshit," she said, her voice lower than what it normally was. Momoshiro looked at her with widened eyes. He had never heard such harsh words coming from An. "If you're going to tell me something, if you're going to break my heart, at least give it to me straight."

Momoshiro remained quiet as he shrunk away timidly at the directness of her tone.

"So what happened?" An asked, seeing that Momoshiro was refusing to say anything at that point.

"I don't know," he said, his voice a little shaky. "She just passed by to watch us play, and then things just…happened."

With that explanation, An just shook her head and walked away. She said nothing more. Their entire novel of a love story ended with just one little disapproving gesture, and then she was gone. As she was leaving, however, Momoshiro stared after her, trying to decipher the expression on her face. It wasn't grief, and there was no anger or resentment to it. It was just…nothing.

To be honest, that was probably the worst reaction he could get.

* * *

**Hmm, you think that with summer vacation and all, I would actually be faster in updating this, but in reality, I'm updating a lot less frequently. I'm sorry for not writing anything in a while, and I hope I'll be a little bit faster now. This chapter is short, but I promise you that I'll have the next chapter by the day after tomorrow at the most. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this one. **

**I wanted to give you a continuation of the break-up scene because the one I had earlier was really short and unsatisfying. This one still has a little bit of loose ends, but I promise you that it will all work out. Just trust. **


	9. The Things You'll Do

**The things you'll do for the ones you like….**

Kikumaru Eiji has never liked coffee. In fact, he absolutely hated the bitter substance from the moment he tried it. When he drank it the first time with Fuji, it was merely because the latter had offered to treat him, and of course, what sane person would pass up an opportunity for free stuff? However, from the minute he walked into the coffee house, he already felt out of place. The coffee house carried with it a very impassive and relaxed attitude, one that was practically the opposite of what Kikumaru was all about. Nevertheless, as much as he hated coffee and the coffee house, Kikumaru returned two times a week, three times when he wasn't so busy with tennis. Why the effort, you ask? Well, it was all so he could get a chance to meet a certain girl who just happened to work behind the counter.

In the earlier stages of his infatuation, Kikumaru would just come to the coffee house and sit in one of the booths, making sure to bring homework and textbooks with him to make it look like he was doing something useful. But after two weeks of coming to the coffee house and not buying anything, he was starting to get suspicious looks from the other employees, so he decided to change up his game plan. Now when he came to the coffee house, he would get in line and buy the cheapest thing from the menu. Then he would hang around for a few minutes, pretending to drink his coffee, and when he exited, he dumped his drink into the nearby potted plant outside the shop. He did this so often. It was practically routine. Today was no different.

"Hello sir, how may I help you?"

Kikumaru felt his heart beating faster as the girl smiled at him sweetly.

"Um…I'll just have my usual, please."

The girl nodded and walked over to the machines to fulfill his order. Kikumaru watched as she did so, gazing at her as if everything was done in slow motion. When she came back with his coffee, he paid for the drink and walked away to sit at one of the tables. Nothing more was said. From his tennis bag, Kikumaru pulled out a tennis magazine and began reading, occasionally sneaking a few glances at the girl every now and then as he "sipped" his coffee. After about ten minutes or so of doing this, Kikumaru packed his tennis bag and left, but not before emptying the contents of the cup into the potted plant as usual.

"You know, you're going to kill the plants if you keep doing that."

Kikumaru whipped around in shock, surprised to see the girl standing behind him with a trash bag in hand. She looked at the still slightly tilted cup with the most curious expression.

"Do I want to know?"

Kikumaru scratched the back of his head nervously, face flushing with embarrassment as he tried to come up with a thorough explanation.

"It's kind of hard to say," he said shyly, letting out a timid chuckle. The girl responded by emitting a light giggle and nodded.

"Alright, I respect that. I'll just assume that whatever reason you had for doing this was a good one."

Kikumaru grinned.

"You could say that."

The girl returned the gesture, and for a moment, the two stood there in a rather comfortable silence. A few seconds had gone by before one of them actually spoke.

"Well, I have to get back to work," she said, raising the trash bag she held in her hand. "It was nice meeting you…um…"

"Kikumaru Eiji. And you?"

The girl tucked a single strand of hair behind her ear and turned the corners of her lips upward in a small smile.

"Nanako Meino."

* * *

**Haha! I'm a day early, and I've already got the next chapter halfway finished. Man, I am on a role. So anyway, after a rather serious and sad break-up scene, I thought this story deserved some much needed fluff, and I've decided to experiment with a new couple. It is a strange one, to say the least, but hopefully, I can make it work. **

**Hmm? What was that? Why didn't Kikumaru just throw away the cup with the coffee still in it? Because it's my story, Goddammit, and it works. Don't question my methods. Besides, Kikumaru's not really the brightest one on the tennis team, is he? I wouldn't be too surprised if he actually did that. **


	10. Girl Problems

**Never ask your teammates for girl advice.**

Kikumaru bit into his burger with a contented smile, emitting satisfied noises as he chewed. Beside him, Echizen ate his fries with less enthusiasm.

"It's such a nice day today," Kikumaru said from his seat facing the window. "We should do something fun, ochibi."

Echizen merely lowered his cap at the idea, stuffing another fry into his mouth. Disregarding Echizen's indifferent attitude, Kikumaru stole another glance out the window onto the streets of Tokyo. That's when he noticed a familiar figure passing by the burger restaurant, a cup of coffee held delicately in her hand. He couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"You're not her type, Kikumaru-senpai."

Kikumaru tore his eyes away from the window and turned back to Echizen.

"Nya? What are you talking about?"

Echizen took a sip from his drink.

"That girl you were staring at."

"What do you mean?" Kikumaru asked, trying to hide the stutter in his voice. "I wasn't staring at anyone."

Echizen looked at his senpai knowingly.

"You were staring."

Kikumaru crossed his arms, mouth slipping into a slight pout.

"So what if I was?"

"It's nothing. I just don't think you're her type."

"And how would you know, ochibi?"

Echizen shrugged his shoulders.

"Just a guess."

* * *

Kikumaru stuffed his tennis racket back into his bag and pulled out his change of clothes, having just finished a long and demanding summer practice. He was now in the locker room with his doubles partner Oishi, who especially noticed the peculiar change in Kikumaru's character today. During practice, the two of them had engaged in a match against each other with Oishi sweeping the game 6-2, a defeat that Kikumaru would have considered rather humiliating had his mind not been on other things.

"Oishi, can I ask you something?"

Oishi gave a brief side glance to the red head before buttoning up the last of his shirt.

"Um…yeah."

"If you were going to ask a girl out, how would you do it?"

At the question, Oishi paused for a moment and now looked at Kikumaru rather seriously, concern etched onto every detail of his face.

"This is all about a girl?"

Kikumaru shrunk away feebly.

"Just a little bit…"

Oishi shook his head, striking up the motherly and reprimanding tone he was known for.

"Eiji, you know we're about to enter high school soon, and if you want to do your best on the tennis team there, you can't afford to be distracted by such trivial matters…"

Kikumaru let out a disappointed sigh.

"…but then again," Oishi said suddenly, abruptly turning away to stroke his chin in contemplation, "your tennis has been suffering a lot lately, and maybe helping you with this girl will actually fix the problem…"

Kikumaru opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a still rambling Oishi turning back around to face him.

"…but what if you get together with this girl, and you actually become more distracted. Balancing your life isn't easy, you know…"

"Oishi, I…"

"…though I guess you could always just…"

Kikumaru finished buttoning up his shirt and grabbed his tennis bag, making his way toward the club room exit.

"I knew I shouldn't have asked Oishi."

* * *

Kikumaru rapped his fingers impatiently on the arm rest of the park bench as he waited for Fuji. After Oishi had proven to be of no help, Kikumaru decided to explore his other options for assistance, and Fuji had seemed like a good place to start. If only Fuji hadn't chosen that specific moment to decide he was thirsty and head off to the vending machine to buy a drink.

The minute Fuji returned, Kikumaru wasted no time in asking him for help.

"Fuji…"

Fuji made a small sound of acknowledgement while taking a sip from his water bottle. Kikumaru took this as permission to continue.

"I kind of need your help."

Fuji closed the cap to his water bottle and turned back to look at Kikumaru with his usual calm demeanor, a discerning smile gracing his lips.

"It's about a girl, isn't it?"

"H…Hai."

"And you like this girl…"

Kikumaru nodded his head vigorously.

"…and you want my advice on how to ask her out?"

"Yes, that's it!" Kikumaru shouted, practically jumping from his seat with excitement. "Wow, how did you know? Are you psychic?"

Fuji did nothing except sit there quietly, now piercing his fellow teammate with exuberant orbs of cerulean.

"Maybe."

Kikumaru was left dumbstruck at the answer as Fuji stood up to throw away his now empty water bottle. Having completely forgotten about his dilemma, Kikumaru spent the rest of the afternoon suspiciously eyeing Fuji, deliberating whether or not Fuji was actually psychic. What Kikumaru didn't know was that Oishi had already told Fuji the entire situation on the phone just five minutes previous.

* * *

As Kikumaru was getting ready for another summer tennis practice, he realized that he still had a problem to deal with, and he had gotten absolutely nowhere with Fuji, but sensing that the ship had already sailed, Kikumaru decided to turn to another reliable friend of his as they entered the courts.

"Hey Momo, do you have a minute?"

Momoshiro stopped in front of the court entrance.

"Sure Eiji-senpai, what's up?"

"Well, I'm having problems…"

"Eh? How strange. The senpai is asking the kohai for help."

Kikumaru gritted his teeth with frustration.

"Shut up, Momo! Are you going to help me for not?"

Momoshiro raised up his hands in defense.

"Calm down, calm down. I'll help you."

The red head let out a quick huff of breath.

"As I was saying, I'm having problems with this girl, and I—"

Kikumaru was interrupted as Momoshiro erupted in laughter. Kikumaru's eyebrow even started to twitch slightly, getting more and more annoyed by the second.

"What's so funny, Momo? Stop laughing and be serious!"

"I'm sorry, Eiji-senpai," Momoshiro said as he tried to suppress his laughter, only to have them come out as tantalizing snickers instead. "It's just too funny."

"Momo!"

"So you've finally found a lady to have problems with," Momoshiro teased, enjoying the situation much more than he should. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Kikumaru was in the midst of strangling the still laughing Momoshiro when Oishi noticed the struggle on his way from the club room and pulled his irritated partner out of it. All during practice, sore neck aside, Momoshiro never failed to shoot Kikumaru a derisive smirk or emit a taunting chuckle every single time he managed to catch the other's attention. With a sigh, Kikumaru wiped the sweat off his brow and gripped his racket even tighter.

"This is going to be a _long_ practice."

* * *

After half an hour of demanding drills and conditioning, Kikumaru decided it was time for water break, anything to avoid Momoshiro and his smug looks. As he sat on the bench, Kikumaru noticed Inui standing beside him, scribbling data into one of his notebooks. Seeing this gave him an idea.

"Inui, you're smart, right?"

Inui adjusted his glasses.

"I would like to think so, yes."

"Good…because I was kind of hoping for your advice."

"What is it, Kikumaru?"

Kikumaru scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Um…it's about a girl."

"Interesting," Inui muttered, furiously recording this newfound data. "Please, start from the beginning."

Kikumaru let out a deep breath.

"Okay, well I guess it all started out when I went to that coffee place with Fuji a few weeks ago. Now normally I don't like coffee, but I would keep on going there anyway because there was this really cute girl working there, though she sort of figured it out a few days ago, but I don't think she really minded that I went to the coffee house for no reason. But you see, now I really like her, and I kind of wanted to ask her out, but I'm feeling nervous because I don't really know if I should. What do you think I should do, Inui?"

Kikumaru turned to face Inui, only to find that he was no longer there.

"Inui?"

Inui walked off the courts, happily writing in his notebook with a certain gleam in his eyes. His mouth twisted into a satisfied smile.

"Ii data."

* * *

"Kaidoh!"

_Fshuuuuuuuuuuuu._

"Hehe…never mind."

* * *

Kikumaru ran a frustrated hand through his hair as the ball hit the net yet again. Everyone in the tennis club could tell that Kikumaru was just not being his normal self today, and even the tennis team captain Tezuka was starting to take note of this.

"Kikumaru," Tezuka cried out sternly, arms crossed in a dignified posture. Kikumaru paused his match with Fuji and rushed over to the captain, awaiting the rebuke that was sure to come.

"What is it, Tezuka?"

"You're not playing well today," the captain said bluntly.

"I know," Kikumaru said rather dejectedly. "I'm sorry. It's just that I have a lot on my mind."

When the captain didn't respond, Kikumaru hesitantly continued.

"There's this girl that I really like, and I've been wanting to ask her out, and everyone is trying to help me, but so far, they haven't really been much help. To be honest, they're just making me more anxious, and I don't know what I should do."

As Kikumaru told Tezuka all of this, the latter simply stood there patiently, showing no change in emotion, though Kikumaru could swear the captain's frown had softened the tiniest bit. With a seriousness that was often attributed to Tezuka, the captain looked at Kikumaru and began to speak.

"Kikumaru…"

Kikumaru tensed up at the fact that his buchou was saying his name with such a tone.

"Yes Tezuka?"

"…twenty laps."

* * *

With tennis practice now over, Kikumaru slung his tennis bag over his shoulder and exited the club room, intercepting an exhausting Kawamura just now leaving the courts.

"Hey Kikumaru," Kawamura said as he walked up toward the red head.

"Taka-san, what are you still doing here?"

"Oh, I was talking to Ryuzaki-sensei about something," he explained. "Anyway, I was just wondering if you were okay. Everyone could tell you weren't really being yourself today."

Kikumaru let out a sigh.

"Fuji told you everything, didn't he?"

"Yeah," Kawamura admitted, nodding his head slowly.

"I don't know what it is about this girl, Taka-san. Something about her just makes me really want to not mess this up."

"Well, I don't think I'm very good in giving girl advice, but if you ever bring her down to the sushi restaurant, I would be more than happy to treat you both to dinner."

Kikumaru seemed to think about this for a moment.

"You know what? That's actually not such a bad idea. I could just invite her to the restaurant, and then if I ever got nervous during dinner, you would be there to help me out. Yeah, I could totally do that. I mean…um…"

Kikumaru's sharp eyes picked up a gleam from among the nearby bushes.

"I-NU-I!"

Having been discovered by Kikumaru, Inui drew himself up to full height. Momoshiro and Kaidoh followed shortly after. (Don't even ask who dragged Kaidoh along).

"Why hello, Kikumaru," Inui said casually, as if what he was doing wasn't wrong at all, "I was just observing you for data purposes."

"Don't say it like it's completely normal," Kikumaru retorted, eyeing the group wearily.

"But Eiji-senpai," Momoshiro interjected, draping an arm over the red-head's shoulder, "we just wanted to know how you were doing with your girl problems. It seems like you're doing a lot better."

Kikumaru looked at Momoshiro annoyingly, though the latter did not seem to notice. To the side, Kaidoh emitted a scoff at the sight.

"We heard about you bringing her to the sushi restaurant," Inui said. "Don't worry. I will be there as well to support you through the entire thing."

"Yeah, we'll all come and help you out," Momoshiro added. "By the time we're finished, this girl will be yours forever."

Kikumaru twitched at the sudden flurry of images that rushed through his mind, imagining all the possible things that could go wrong with his teammates beside him.

At this point of the day, Kikumaru didn't even have the energy to say or do anything in opposition. He just simply settled for slapping his forehead in frustration and walking away. As he made his way out of the tennis court area, however, he passed by a still practicing Echizen smashing a tennis ball repeatedly against the backboard.

"She likes romantic comedies…"

"Eh? Did you say something, ochibi?"

Echizen carried on with his swinging.

"…and she prefers orchids instead of roses."

Kikumaru placed his hands on his hips with a pout.

"Are these another one of your guesses, ochibi?"

Echizen didn't reply.

With no response, Kikumaru left the younger boy, now thoroughly agitated. As he exited the school grounds, he let out a scoff.

"Tch, what does ochibi know?"

* * *

**Don't worry! I did not forget about this story. I mean, I know I haven't updated in a while, but I kind of made up for it since this chapter is much longer than what I usually do, though that's kind of why it took me so long to write it. I swear, I have a really short attention span so I get distracted really easily. Oh, by the way, by the time I got done with this chapter, I got really lazy in proofreading it so there might be some errors or something like that. Feel free to tell me if you spot them. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'll do my best in updating more quickly. **

**Reviews are welcome!!!**


	11. People Who Hate Each Other

**People who hate each other really do hate each other.**

To Tachibana An, Kirihara Akaya was a cruel and violent monster who always did things with a selfish intent, and to Kirihara Akaya, Tachibana An was an annoying, little girl who was just a waste of his time. The two of them couldn't stand each other, and there was no doubt that when they were together, conflict between them was sure to arise. It was at the Junior Invitational Enrichment Camp, however, that An started seeing things differently. Even though she was certain that she would hate Kirihara forever, she couldn't help but admire him when he lied to everyone for the sake of protecting her, and when he asked her out a few days after Momoshiro had dumped her, there was just no reason for An to say no.

By the time they had settled into their relationship, Kirihara and An had managed to convince everyone that they were absolutely in love--even themselves, but deep down, in the recesses of their mind, at its very core, they still hated each other, and it showed. They fought each other often, and what passed off as normal couple disputes in the eyes of others hid something much more. No matter how strong their love was, a deep hatred was always brewing underneath.

"Why are you being so difficult?" Kirihara yelled as he watched An make her way to the front door.

An's hand, which had been firmly wrapped around the door knob, dropped down from its position and hung limply at her side. She turned around to face Kirihara.

"Look, I just can't do this anymore. I can't stand to see us fighting."

"So you're running away. What? You don't even want to stay here and talk about it?"

An looked away, pretending to be more interested in something that was happening outside the window.

"Even if we did that, it wouldn't solve anything."

"Well we could at least try. I love you, An. I want to fix this."

Hearing these words, An looked at Kirihara tearfully, speaking softly to hide the shakiness in her voice.

"I'm sorry, Kirihara-kun."

The _–kun _practically made Kirihara wince.

When An left, Kirihara took the nearest object at hand and hurled it across the room.

* * *

"Don't worry, An-chan. You and Kirihara-san both love each other. You'll get through this."

"I know, Sakuno," An said as she sat herself down onto Tomoka's couch. "I still feel a little depressed though."

"It'll be fine," Tomoka insisted. "Couples have fights all the time. Trust me. By tomorrow, you two will be all lovey-dovey again."

An managed to give a small smile, feeling slightly less upset. Still, even with her friends cheering her up, it was impossible to get what Kirihara said out of her head.

"_I love you, An. I want to fix this."_

As she replayed those words over and over again, she couldn't but think to herself--

_Maybe there's nothing to fix. Maybe this is how it'll always be. _

* * *

**I know it's a little short, but I'm doing my best here!!! Anyway, I hope to have the next chapter up soon. I can't wait until I get to the Niou/Sakuno chapters. Trust me. I want to write them as much as you want to read them, but as much as I consider Alex and Gigi (Niou and Sakuno) the main characters in the movie, they really don't have very scenes until later. I could make up scenes to add in, but they would just seem a little repetitive so you guys are just going to have to wait. It'll be worth it though...hopefully. **


	12. Somehow

**Sometimes things just have a funny way of working out.**

"Back again, I see."

"Um…yeah," Kikumaru replied as he stood there awkwardly in front of the counter. He could almost feel his heart beating faster than ever.

"You're not here for coffee, are you?" Nanako asked playfully.

"No, I'm not," he answered, "but…uh…I am here for something else."

Nanako slightly tilted her head to the side, innocently looking at Kikumaru with curiosity.

"And what would that be, Kikumaru-kun?"

Letting out a nervous giggle, Kikumaru tugged at the collar of his shirt frantically, as if the fabric was strangling him.

"Well…you see…I-I wanted to ask you something, and…uh…"

"If you're going to ask her something, you might want to do it soon, Kikumaru-senpai. Some of us are waiting to order back here."

Upon hearing this voice, Nanako and Kikumaru whipped around to face the figure standing nonchalantly in the background.

"Ryoma-kun, I didn't see you there."

"Eh?" Kikumaru exclaimed as he glanced back and forth between Nanako and Echizen. "How do you two know each other?"

"What are you talking about, Kikumaru-senpai?" Echizen asked, a crude smile gracing his lips. "Everyone knows that Nanako's my cousin."

"Cousin?!"

A gentle nod from Nanako confirmed this fact. Anxiousness quickly fading, Kikumaru instantly turned on Echizen, hands irately placed on his hips.

"Ochibi!"

Kikumaru chased Echizen out of the coffee shop.

* * *

Wandering the fields of the nearby park in Tokyo, Kikumaru fumbled his pockets for his cell phone and checked it yet again for any sign of Echizen.

"Damn that ochibi. Where is he?"

After glaring impatiently at the phone for a few more minutes, Kikumaru decided that he had finally had enough and punched in Echizen's number himself.

"Hello?"

"Ochibi, where are you?" Kikumaru yelled. "It's already four-seventeen. You told me to meet you at the park at four."

"I didn't tell you anything, Kikumaru-senpai," Echizen responded slowly. "Are you sure it was me?"

"What? Of course I'm sure it was you. I have the Caller ID to prove it."

Over on the other line, there was a short pause.

"I still have no clue what you're talking about. I'm hanging up now."

"No, don't hang up! Get back here, ochi-"

The next thing Kikumaru heard was dial tone.

"Ugh, ochibi. Why I oughta…"

"Um…Kikumaru-kun?"

Kikumaru stopped yelling at his cell phone for a moment to look up from its screen.

"Nanako-san, what are you doing here?"

"Well, Ryoma-kun called me at work and told him to meet me at the park. I was wondering if you've seen him. I can't find him anywhere."

Kikumaru seemed to contemplate this for a moment.

"No, I haven't."

"Oh," Nanako muttered with a sigh, "something must have come up. He's probably not coming."

"That's great! I-I mean, that's...too bad."

Feeling himself heating up, Kikumaru wished he could escape the awkward silence that followed.

"Hey Kikumaru-kun..."

"Yeah?"

"You want to go get some ice cream or something?" Nanako asked, brushing some hair out of her face to reveal gentle eyes.

"What?" Kikumaru stuttered, distracted by this virtuous image. "You mean like…on a date?"

"Yeah," Nanako said, narrowing her eyes slyly, a quality infamous among Echizens, "that was what you wanted to ask me, wasn't it?"

"Um…"

Seeing Kikumaru's shy expression, Nanako emitted another innocent giggle.

"Come on," she said, grabbing Kikumaru's hand. "Let's go."

With this, Kikumaru was calmly whisked away, and, hand-in-hand, the two of them walked out of the park, both wearing contented smiles. Over on the nearby park bench, Echizen, who had been hiding behind an open tennis magazine, twisted his lips into an amused smirk.

"Mada mada dane."

* * *

Yes, I still exist. Geez, it's been like two or three months since my last chapter, but I promise you I haven't forgotten about this story. I've just been so busy with sleepaway camp, then Homecoming, and the PSATs and school and whatnot. The first two months of school are always the slowest and the worst. It isn't until school hits October that it gets a little easier. But anyway, things are starting to settle down now, and I hope to be updating more quickly again. We'll just call the past couple of months an unannounced hiatus.

This chapter, though, is a little bit rushed since I was just so anxious to start publishing again. I might fix it later. I might not because I'm too lazy, but either way, please excuse the crappiness. Next chapter will hopefully be a lot better, and guess what? There's finally some more Niou/Sakuno. YAY!!! Oh yeah, please review! ^^


	13. If He's Not Sleeping With You

…**if he's not sleeping with you.**

"So guess what?"

Niou flopped down onto his bed, repeatedly throwing and catching the tennis ball with one hand while keeping the phone to his ear with the other.

"What?"

"I think I found someone," Sakuno said excitedly. "This one might actually work out."

"Is that so?" Niou mustered with a casual yawn. "Tell me about it."

"Okay, so you know Sengoku from Yamabuki, right?"

Niou caught the ball and paused for a moment.

"Yeah."

"Well I met him at one of Seigaku's tennis matches, and we started dating a few weeks ago."

"Oh well that's cool," Niou said, resuming his antics of catch. "How's it been going since then?"

Sakuno gave a small laugh.

"It's been going pretty well. We're still having a few problems getting further though."

"Well has he tried to make a move on you?"

"No," Sakuno stuttered. "I mean, I've hinted a few times, but nothing's really happened yet."

Niou's reflexes failed him as the ball bounced from his hand and landed on the floor with a thud.

"So let me get this straight," Niou contested, disregarding the ball on the ground and sitting straight up on his bed. "You gave Sengoku a chance to have sex with you, and he rejected it."

Sakuno shrunk back in timidness.

"I-I guess that's one way of putting it."

Niou nodded silently in comprehension and shot back his blunt response.

"Yeah, this guy's not into you."

Surprised at this, Sakuno was at a loss of what to say.

"How can you tell?"

"Dude, if I know Sengoku as well as I'm pretty sure I do, then I know that he's a total skirt chaser."

"Well what does that have to do with anything?"

"Okay, so let me tell you something real clearly," Niou said slowly. "This is a secret that we males have kept for years."

Hearing the presumed sincerity in Niou's tone, Sakuno silenced herself for the rest of what Niou had to say.

"Men are sex-driven animals. No sane man will ever pass up an opportunity to fuck unless he's just not interested."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Sakuno asked, sounding a little disconcerted. "Just stop seeing him."

Niou shrugged. "If you don't want to look like an idiot."

"So you're saying that I should just get rid of all guys who are _supposedly_ not interested."

"Yep."

"There won't be any guys left," Sakuno said with a pout.

Over on the other line, Niou chuckled slightly at the comedy of it all.

"Okay, okay, look. If you really are looking to meet a guy, come over to my place next weekend. I'm throwing a party, and I think I might know someone who would suit you. You'll like him. I promise."

Hearing this, Sakuno smiled lightly, wondering who this someone could be. Guess it wouldn't hurt to find out now, would it?

"Alright, I'll be there."

* * *

**Okay, so this chapter is little bit more highly rated than what the character ages suggest, but who cares? This is my story, and they had this point in the movie so I had to put it in here. I wrote this in like an hour, which is pretty quick because my OCDness causes me to spend hours on my work until it is absolutely perfect. I let my chaptered stuff slack a little since it's the overall story that matters, but it just annoys me to no end when in my oneshots even one sentence is a little off. Anyway, finally some more Niou/Sakuno stuff. I can't wait to write some of the more important chapters since this one is not really that important to the overall plot besides setting up for the party scene. Read and review, please! And please take pity! **


	14. Signs

**How did I not notice it before?**

"I'm sorry that you're stuck babysitting on Saturday. I really wanted you to come to the party with me."

Tomoka let out a sigh, letting the television remote in her arms flop lazily into the crevice between the sofa cushion and the armrest.

"Tell me about it. I was kind of looking forward to meeting all the hot guys from Rikkaidai. Such a shame."

Letting a small smile cross her lips at this notion, Sakuno took over the remote and resumed the continuous flipping of channels.

"But if you ask me," Tomoka continued, "what sucks more is that An couldn't have gone with you. It would've been perfect since she already knows some of the guys there."

"Yeah, but I think it's kind of sweet that she and Kirihara wanted to have some alone time this weekend. And she said she might stop by the party later."

"Well that's good," Tomoka noted, bringing her feet around so she could lean against the armrest sideways. "So how's it going with you and that guy?"

Sakuno looked at Tomoka questionably.

"What guy?"

Tomoka slightly tilted her head downwards, gazing at Sakuno as if insinuating the answer to that question was completely obvious.

"You know. That guy that you've been talking on the phone with recently."

"Oh, what about him?"

Tomoka shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. From what I've heard, it sounded like the two of you were starting to like each other. I thought maybe something might have happened between you guys."

Taken aback, Sakuno scrunched up her face in contemplation.

"Me and Niou-san? Sounds pretty weird."

"Is it? Because it seems pretty natural to me. I mean, there are plenty of signs pointing toward it."

Sakuno actually had to laugh at this.

"Like what?"

"Well he's just so willing to help you and all, and you guys have been talking a lot lately."

"So we're friends. It's not a big deal or anything."

"Oh come on, Sakuno. I know you like him. You can't hide these kind of things from your best friend. And to be honest, I think he likes you too."

"What makes you say that?" Sakuno asked, still skeptical.

"Don't you think it's rather odd that he's so quick to reject guys for you? And then just when you're getting desperate, he invites you to a party so the two of you can see each other again. It sounds like he's taking advantage of the situation."

Sakuno rolled her eyes. "Okay, you're taking this way too seriously. He told me to come to this party because he wanted me to meet someone.'

"What if the person he wanted you to meet was him?"

Sakuno opened her mouth to say something in retaliation, but then decided against it. What if Tomoka was right? Could she and Niou really have something going on between them? No, she thought. It wasn't possible. The two of them were just friends.

Still, those signs were pretty convincing.

* * *

An was starting to notice some signs as well.

In the past, Kirihara Akaya had been known to indulge in a few alcoholic consumptions. Though it was usually only limited to parties, it wasn't uncommon for him to grab a beer bottle and drink his troubles away, drowning them all in the booze and liquor. However, as he grew older and more mature, he decided to retire his dependence on alcohol and quit cold turkey. As of right now, Kirihara was completely sober. At least, An thought he was.

Now at this point, it wasn't necessarily a lie to say that An's relationship with Kirihara was a little rocky. Many times, the couple bickered over trivial matters, escalating into fights over absolutely nothing. It was after one of them, when the two had kissed and made up, that An started to be a little doubtful of Kirihara's supposedly repressed habits. As his lips pressed closer to hers, she could almost detect the subtle toxic scent of alcohol under the minty-fresh smell of his breath.

The second clue was when he was leaving her house one day after a rather intense study session, and An got his backpack for him as he was getting ready to go. When she picked it up, she swore she could hear the slightest clink of glass beneath its contents. Needless to say, she was now even more apprehensive of the matter, and the fact that he now seemed to be a little bit more secretive of his whereabouts and possessions didn't help the situation at all.

"Hey you, how's it going?"

"Oh hey An, come in."

Stepping aside to let An through the front door, Kirihara grabbed her and gave her the customary peck on the lips. There it was again, An thought. That vulgar stench, so carefully hidden.

"Are you drinking again?" An blurted out casually, before the censors of her mouth could react. She really hadn't been planning her confrontation to be so direct.

"No," Kirihara answered with a small chuckle. "Geez, that was a random question."

"Yeah, but I thought I smelled it on your breath. I just wanted to make sure. I mean, you know how I feel about drinking."

With a kind smile, Kirihara cupped her cheek and rubbed the apple of it softly with his thumb.

"Don't worry. I understand," he said as he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her, her head resting gently on his chest. An let out a deep breath, as if she had been holding that all day due to anxiety.

"I'm sorry. It's just that my brother used to drink, before we transferred to Fudomine. I saw what it did to him. I just didn't want that to happen to you."

"I told you I understood, didn't I?" Kirihara said, continuing his soft caresses on the small of her back. "And I'm telling you that I am definitely, absolutely, positively not drinking."

An pulled back and looked at him with large eyes.

"Promise?"

Kirihara gave her one more quick kiss.

"I promise."

Somehow, An still didn't feel any more reassured.

* * *

**Hell ya! Exam week is over, and winter break is here! I hope this chapter is satisfactory enough for the wait. Man, I had a long explanation of the characters from the movie and their translation into the story in this Author's Note, but then my computer decided to hate me and freeze and then close down all my internet windows so I had to start over from where I had last finished editing (because I write my story on Microsoft Word, but I add my Author's Note on here). Anyway, I am far too lazy to type it all up again, so you're just going to have to wait for another chapter when I feel more up to it. Don't worry. It doesn't affect your comprehension of the plot at all. More of food for thought, I guess, and some other insight that might have entertained you. Oh well.**


	15. This is a Lie

**I don't like how it's pretending to be Dr. Pepper.**

An stood at Kirihara's doorstep, knocking lightly on his front door. She knew that it was a little late to be paying her boyfriend a visit, but the girl had left her purse at his house, and that purse contained all of her necessities. The door finally opened.

"An-chan, what are you doing here?" Kirihara asked when he saw her. Though his speech was nothing too out of the ordinary, An could detect the slight nervousness in his voice.

"Sorry to bother you, Akaya-kun," An replied sheepishly, thinking maybe this was a bad idea after all. "I left my purse in your living room, and I kind of need it for tonight. Is it okay if I just go in and get it?"

"No wait!" Kirihara exclaimed as An took a step closer toward the inside. Something seemed suspicious.

"Why? What's the matter?"

"N-nothing," Kirihara stuttered. "Why don't I just get your purse for you?"

"Okay," An said slowly, deliberating with herself whether or not she should question Kirihara's strange behavior. He wasn't acting like himself at all, and it was obviously showing. A few minutes later, when Kirihara came back out with her purse, An opened her mouth as if to say something, but thought better against it.

"I guess I'll see you later then," An said hesitantly, unsure if she was really doing the right thing by letting this go. However, she had no time to even contemplate the matter because the next thing she knew, Kirihara has already muttered a quick-

"Yeah, later."

-and shut the door. No last smile, no goodbye kiss, nothing.

Left to stand in the cool summer night, An couldn't help but feel a little empty all of a sudden as she continued to gaze at the faint glow emanating from behind Kirihara's sliding doors. He's hiding something from me, she thought. She had known it from the start.

Still, she couldn't bring it to herself to believe it.

Kirihara dumped all of the food gathered in his arms onto the convenience store counter, catching the young adult cashier off guard. With a slight grimace, as if she was upset for actually having to work, the cashier proceeded to ring up Kirihara's items, modest acrylic nails making soft _clacks _on the cash register.

"Why so much stuff, Akaya?" An asked with a sliver of amusement, watching as the cashier troubled herself with the pile of chip bags and packages of candy.

"It's movie night tonight. Not having a ton of junk food would be a crime," Kirihara stated, inspecting a pack of gum kept on stock by the cash register and tossing that in as well to be paid for.

"Well yeah, but isn't this a little much?" An asked as she scanned over some of the items on the counter. "I mean, what is this?"

Kirihara grinned at the package of soda cans she held up.

"Dr. Thunder. It's just like Dr. Pepper except it's a hell of a lot cheaper."

"Well did they have to name it Dr. Thunder? It just sounds weird."

"Aw come on," Kirihara said as he pulled out his cash to pay for the items. "You just have to try it."

With this, Kirihara rushed to the back of the store and grabbed a package of regular Dr. Pepper.

"Alright, now try this one."

As instructed, An took a blind sip from the soda can.

"Okay," Kirihara said with an air of finality, "which one is it?"

Opening her eyes, Tachibana An looked back and forth between the two soda cans in Kirihara's hands, trying to recall the different tastes that had slid down her throat.

"The first one," she answered, though in all honesty she was really not too sure. The smug smile Kirihara wore shortly after confirmed just how wrong she was.

"Nope," Kirihara said, holding up the can she had just picked. "This is the Dr. Thunder."

"Seriously? You mean the first one wasn't real Dr. Pepper?"

"That's right."

Kirihara had the most content expression on his face, as if he was proud of himself for having bested An at _something_. Meanwhile, An contemplated this notion for a moment.

"I still think Dr. Pepper is better," she decided.

"But why?" Kirihara inquired lightheartedly. "You couldn't even tell the difference."

"That's not the point," An said, her regular smile still seemingly plastered on her face. "I just don't like how it's pretending to be Dr. Pepper."

Kirihara slouched for a moment, eyebrow raised in confusion. "I don't really think it's pretending."

An let out an exasperated sigh and roughly grabbed the Dr. Thunder can from Kirihara, holding it up for him to take a good look at. Her smile was completely wiped from her face, and her eyes pierced into Kirihara as if daggers were going through him.

"This is a lie, Kirihara-kun," An said intensely, voice so low it was almost a whisper. "I think it should just be upfront and tell people what it really is."

"What are you talking about? It's just soda."

An lifted her head up sharply at the statement, gritting her teeth in frustration. Boys just can be so stupid sometimes.

"No, it's not just soda. It's more than that."

Kirihara lifted an arm to An's shoulder, squeezing it with concern.

"Look, whatever you have to say to me, just say it."

An's grip on the soda can tightened, crushing the aluminum material and causing the content within to overflow. In a brief fit of anger, An threw the soda can down to the ground, paying no attention as the Dr. Thunder collected in a puddle around her feet.

"ARE YOU-" she started, before she realized she was in public and promptly lowered her voice. "Are you drinking or not?"

When Kirihara didn't answer, all An could do was walk away.


End file.
